Star Trek ride to headline new theme park in Jordan

A Star Trek adventure ride will be the main attraction at Jordan's new theme park

Trekkies might soon find themselves donning Starfleet-issue jumpsuits and beaming off to the Middle East with news that funding has been secured for an entertainment resort in Aqaba, Jordan, where the main attraction will be a Star Trek themed adventure ride.

The US$1.5 billion, 184-acre resort called the Red Sea Astrarium project will offer four hotels, dining, shopping and theatrical productions and will "serve as a model for green energy" when it's completed in 2014.

Jordan's King Abdullah is a Star Trek fan having made a cameo appearance on Star Trek: Voyager in 1996 (when he was still a prince) and the King Abdullah II Fund for Development (KAFD) is reportedly among the group of investors from the U.S. and the Gulf region backing the project.

Architecture firm Callison has been engaged by Rubicon Group Holding (RGH) to design the resort, while Paramount Recreation and CBS Consumer Products (which hold the license to the Star Trek brand) will be involved on the production side.

There's not much detail on the headline "spaceflight adventure" attraction at this stage, but those hoping for a touch of 70's nostalgia from the ride will be disappointed to learn that it will reportedly be based on the 2009 movie, not the original TV series. Here's hoping that the latest Star Trek ride won't go the way of the now deceased "Star Trek - The Experience" at the Las Vegas Hilton which closed in 2008.